This study examines a key component of environmental risk communication; trust and credibility. The study was conducted in two parts. In the first part, six hypotheses regarding the perceptions and determinants of trust and credibility were tested against survey data. The hypotheses were supported by the data. The most important hypothesis was that perceptions of trust and credibility are dependent on three factors: perceptions of knowledge and expertise; perceptions of openness and honesty; and perceptions of concern and care. In the second part, models were constructed with perceptions of trust and credibility as the dependent variable. The goal was to examine the data for findings with direct policy implications. One such finding was that defying a negative stereotype is key to improving perceptions of trust and credibility.
The intentional or unintentional introduction of a pathogen in an urbanThe West Nile virus epidemic is a useful case study for examining the communication challenges posed by the appearance of a new infectious disease in an urban setting. 1 Effective communication is critical to the successful resolution of any type of health, safety, or environmental controversy. 2-4 High-concern situations involving risk create substantial barriers to effective communication 5,6 and evoke strong emotions, such as fear, anxiety, distrust, anger, outrage, helplessness, and frustration. 7,8 When the communication environment becomes emotionally charged, the rules for effective communication change. Familiar and traditional approaches often fall short or can make the situation worse. 2,3 A body of communication theory, known as risk communication, offers insights into how crises and high-concern situations alter the usual rules of communication. 3,7 Risk communication science also provides a set of principles for meeting the challenges posed by the New York City West Nile virus epidemic. 2,3,9
THE RISK COMMUNICATION PERSPECTIVEThe National Academy of Sciences defines risk communication as
This paper reviews the history of risk analysis and risk management, giving special emphasis to the neglected period prior to the 20th century. The overall objective of the paper is to: (1) dampen the prevailing tendency to view present-day concerns about risk in an ahistorical context; (2) shed light on the intellectual antecedents of current thinking about risk; (3) clarify how contemporary ideas about risk analysis and societal risk management differ significantly from the past; and (4) provide a basis for anticipating future directions in risk analysis and management.
~~~ ~ ~~KEY WORDS History of risk analysis; probability theory; risk analysis; risk management.
Environmental risk communication is examined as a community-based public health issue in this study. It provides data on information dynamics in six communities prior to the implementation of national community right-to-know legislation. It also provides a baseline for measuring changes in knowledge, attitudes, information gathering activities and other behaviors. Respondents (3,129) from six communities, Albuquerque, New Mexico; Cincinnati, Ohio; Durham, North Carolina; Middlesex County, New Jersey; Racine, Wisconsin; and Richmond, Virginia, provided information about recall of environmental risk information and sources, as well as personal knowledge, attitudes and behaviors related to environmental health risks. Local media are the most pervasive source of environmental information. Interpersonal sources were reported by fewer than 12% of the respondents. Credibility appears to be the most valuable attribute of an environmental information source. Credibility and expertise are perceived as independent characteristics by the public. More and more diverse information sources and higher levels of consumer interest are needed to involve the public effectively in environmental issues. Future comparison studies in these communities will illustrate more fully how to achieve responsible community involvement in environmental health issues.
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